(Source: International Herald Tribune)
(Source: International Herald Tribune)
Out of his country, but not out of power – NYT, January 25, 2013
[This is from the print version of the International Herald Tribune, the international version of the New York Times. Online link coming soon once the article is posted.]
Update: Here’s the link: In Thailand, Power Comes With Help From Skype
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What a piece of bullocks, biased, non researched and extremely favoring a man on the run from a court of law that in their judgment ONLY was following the laws of a constitution that got the green light from Thaksin back in 1997 where he was a MP.
There currently three arrest orders on him in 2 active high profile court-cases and seven pending. Both the two cases have been brought to the courts while his sister is in power. This man a is fugitive on the run and IS VERY dangerous to the security situation in SEA. He will spare no means to get back in power. But then again why didn’t NYT not ask him why he hasn’t return to Thailand, if the people really loves him so much and his sister is in power…….
What a nonsense article. One cannot rule a country remotely it. By suggesting otherwise your author is underestimating the current PM and sister of Thaksin dearly. If Thaksin really had influence of any importance the very people that occupied the airports and killed people passing by, by shooting on them from under a portrait of the king would have been in jail and not innocent demonstrators that protested the rape of yet another democracy by Prem and his undemocratic friends. If Thaksin really was this powerful the constitution that Thai army generals and royalists do write on toilet paper ever couple of years would have been amended. The article is an insult to the intelligence of all Thai people not being royalists.
@Marcus Collins
You conveniently leave out Thaksin’s ground troops burning down the centre of Bangkok and holding it hostage for two months. Or was that an ‘honest mistake’ on your part?
@Cor Verhoef
And you’re running off at the mouth as usual. Go and get a life loser!
Seriously? You want us to believe that it is ok for a non-elected person to direct the cabinet what to do? Oh and let’s not forget what the courts think about him.
I like the sentence: “Politics in Thailand can be difficult to explain to outsiders because it sometimes sounds too implausible to be true.”
I live in Bangkok since almost 20 years and follow the news consistently and I can confirm that Thai politics is so crazy that if a soap opera would tell the same story people would say it is totally unrealistic. But it is what happens in Thailand in real life.
I guess the NYT did not publish all the confirmed and alleged crimes from Thaksin because they wanted to print also some other news on that day. Otherwise the whole newspaper would not have enough pages to report all his “honest mistakes”
No matter what the truth is, Thaksin is a clear and present danger to Thailand. This country has powerful enough abilities…why not just send out a “crew” and take the sucker out?
@Collins
Fact is, without Thaksins approval nothing goes in this government.
So who rules the country?
It is funny how international newspapers try to make headlines out of a totally nonsensical report which is completely non substantial.
Thai people laugh about it – as the English written media in the country are red of a minority of people. Thailand has a culture and
traditon for so long that foreigners won’t understand it. Even so Mr. Thaksin might really have been consulted in some decissions he
will not be able to “rule” a country from abroad or give positions to people.
The countries structure is much too complicated any many issues have to pass many eara and mouth’
that what this article summarizes – it is just not possible. The Thais are not as stupid as the reader might get the impression. To hold a city like Bangkok hostage and in chaos just shows that police and military are not trained to dissolve illegal demonstrations (same by the way for blocking airports). In both cases two different governments were in charge. In Thailand the main power is the royal family and the crown councils leader General Prem Tinsulanonda an over 90 year old fellow
of His Majesty the King himself. He controls the military with more than 70 percent and has best contacts to the business elite.
How ever – the country can never be a democracy as of a high corruption problem. Thaksin might be able to put people in positions but
the country will if there is no revolution of it’s people NEVER ever a democracy. First the military has to loose its power (many coups d’etat in the last 40 years with many dead people speak a clear language)- a reform of a real independent justice system is necessary
and the very best would be a round table and the will of cooperation of all enemy groups in Thailand
to have diplomacy to solve chaotic issues in the country. Before Mr. Thaksin threw his head in thenpolitical arena Thailand was even
worse – it made some progress after. I am a journalist and special correspondent here myself since a long time.
Most of the here living foreigners are influenced of an Anti Thaksin Engliah written press. The other foreigners who live i the country side through their Thai wives and the people they live amongst. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Thaksin has
influence but not as much as this report wants to make people believe. Thailand is much more complex, corrupt and difficult that 1 man could make a difference.
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